Some Are Growing, Some Are Not

My potatoes are getting taller and fuller by the day.
And some of the plants have begun to bloom.

But my poor green beans are having a hard time coming up.

My corn has begun coming up;

And so have the watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers and pumpkins.

The tomatoes I purchased from the store have stopped growing and seem to be struggling to stay alive.

But the tomatoes I started indoors are growing like weeds.

I am so looking forward to a full productive garden.

Don't Look Down

Yesterday morning I was up a tree...Trying to cut a very long branch that is stuck in another tree hanging over...

Elizabeth's swing set. (This branch blew down during a wind storm last year.)

I had to quit after working off and on for about an hour, it was just too hard! Hopefully Pat will have time this weekend to finish the job.

A Small Rock Project

Recently I read about a mom, with a toddler, putting rocks in the pots of her house plants so the toddler would not dig in the dirt. I immediately thought of how much nicer my plants would look with rocks showing instead of dirt. The kids and I have been slowly collecting small rocks to add to my small collection of plants.

The rocks are really transforming the look of my plants.

Skirts on a Mission

Recently I read on the blog "I have to Say" a write up about a young missionary named Bella.Bella is collecting skirts to bring with her on an upcoming mission trip to Costa Rica.

Over the weekend I put together 3 skirts;

And mailed them today.

Here a Chick, There a Chick, Everywhere a Chick Chick

The baby chicks have a "HUGH" appetite! Last year the kids helped me grind maize and corn to feed them so we wouldn't have to keep paying for the high priced food at the grain store.

However, we were wearing out our arms grinding. So, Pat rigged up the grinder with a hand drill and now it takes very little time to grind up a bucket full.

And yesterday the chicks were introduced to table scraps when I gave them a watermelon rind.

It was so fun watching them peck at it, they were unsure it was something to eat.

My House Plants

Off and on for the past couple of days we have had a gentle rain.
Yesterday the idea hit me to put my house plants outside for a good drink and shower.

The kids helped me carry the plants to Elizabeth's picnic table.

I don't have too many house plants, just 5; my thumb is far from green but these few plants have managed to live even when I forget to water them.

Moving Day

Many of our baby chicks have grown so much.....They barely had room to move in the small portable pen.

So today we began gathering them up...

And moving them to the large portable pen.

Now they have more space for running and jumping...

And chasing bugs.

The Orchard Once Again

I am so excited each time I walk out to the orchard.Mowing the grass and weeds has opened my eyes to just how large it is.

The trees are no longer hidden in the middle of tall weeds.

I have mowed almost half of the orchard so far. Lately I have been enjoying walking through it early in the morning and late in the evening.

Cooking Class

Elizabeth has been asking more and more to help cook. Usually I am too busy to slow down long enough to have her help.

This morning I decided to get her up early so she could help make cookies.

I usually have more time in the morning than later in the day.

So getting her up early to help cook needs to become a routine.

Yum, the cookies were so good!

Look What's Growing in My Garden!

This is not what I want growing in my garden!He isn't very big but still big enough to make my heart skip a beat each time I see him.

Garden Tomatoes

I am getting behind on planting my garden, especially my tomatoes. Recently while in the grocery store I spotted these plants for $2.99.I have never seen tomatoes planted together in one container, they usually are separated by compartments; but it was easy to divide them;

They are now in the ground and doing well.

The tomatoes I started from seed are coming along nicely;

And looking very healthy.

Cock-A-Doodle-Do

Our one and only rooster, given the name Cock-A-Doodle-Do by Elizabeth, is not a very nice rooster.He attacked Elizabeth when she climbed into the chicken yard to retrieve a couple of eggs.

She wants to sell him now since he is so mean but he is a good rooster to the hens so for now we must keep him.

Vintage Fun

A friend recently gave this vintage Tupperware dish set to Elizabeth.

It originally sold for $11.89

I love how small the pieces are;

Elizabeth has been using the dishes during snack time.

Yellow Flower

Elizabeth has a dance recital/performance at the end of the month. She and her classmates will be a field of flowers and she is to be a yellow flower.To order a yellow leotard was $15.75 plus shipping; I was able to make her one for $5.

The Orchard

Our orchard is really growing; the trees look strong and healthy.

Since we have had some nice rain the grass and weeds are growing well;

So earlier in the week I began mowing the orchard for the chickens.

I love how it is looking; someday I hope to fence the orchard so the chickens will have more space for roaming.

A Bird's Nest

Pat found a bird's nest in the pasture stuck between some cattle panels; it was made with small thorny mesquite branches. I didn't want to throw it away so I stuck it in this Mulberry tree.

Maybe one of the many birds we have will use it one day.

Unexpected Cool Weather

When I woke up this morning we had some chilly weather so I baked a pecan pie;And then baked a double batch of peanutbutter cookies.

I just love cool days!

Baptism

After Elizabeth announced to our church her "Big Decision" she was given a workbook to complete before her Baptism.

When the workbook was completed a date was set for the Baptism which was yesterday. (The lady at the top of the stairs was there to assist us before and after the Baptism.)

Elizabeth was a little concerned about how long the preacher would keep her under the water but she did fine and was very excited.

My Mom

All that I know I learned from my mom.

When we were growing up my mom was always home to cook our "made from scratch meals", to "sew us clothing", to make us "pick up rocks from the garden", to make us "close up the chickens at night".....

All that I know I learned from my mom; now I am always home to "make meals from scratch", to "sew clothing for the kids", to "work in the garden" and to "gather eggs".

HAPPY MOHTER'S DAY!

A Benefit of Buying Secondhand Items

Recently I purchased a heavy cast iron griddle at a garage sale for $3.50. After cleaning it up I made a batch of french toast on it. I liked being able to cook several slices of bread at one time but the middle of the griddle didn't get hot enough so I had to keep rotating the bread slices until each slice was evenly brown.

Next I made hamburger patties on the griddle...BIG MISTAKE; it was so messy!

If I had purchased the griddle new I would have wasted at least $30; it's a lot easier to deal with a $3.50 loss.

Our Daily Bread

Now that I have a wonderful new system for keeping my homemade wheat bread moist and tasty the kids and I have been eating it every day and we love it!

This is how the bread looks when I take it out of the freezer;After prying apart the slices with a butter knife I pop it into the microwave for a few seconds;

And then it's ready to be used for a sandwich.

I love being able to eat homemade bread each day!

Taxi Service

Last week Pat began having problems with his work van. The mechanic has been stumped as to why it keeps dying. This morning it died yet again only this time it would not start back up and Pat had to tow it home with the tractor.I have had to take him to and from the warehouse as well as run his errands for him since last week. Normally I do not mind making an extra trip into town but I am going crazy having to go to town everyday! Hopefully the problem with the van will be found soon and I can stay home again.

Chicks Chicks and More Chicks

Bright and early this morning the post office called to say our newest order of baby chicks was waiting for us.

We put them into a pen with some 2-week old chicks, not knowing if they would get along or not, and sat back to watch. It's so cute how the smaller chicks follow the older ones and they are all getting along nicely.

This evening I began clearing out the north side of the chicken house. It is covered in old rotten wood from when we worked on the chicken house and an old dead tree. I began burning the old wood and will be hauling off the old tree branches to be used for a future bonfire.

Once I have this area cleaned up I will begin fencing it in so the chickens will have more room to roam.

King Quilt pt. 5

My king quilt is currently being neglected since I have been so busy doing other things. However, I have managed to work on it a little and have completed 26 blocks.

I arranged them on the floor recently and really love how it is looking.

A Day of Baking

On Friday evening a cool wind began blowing; the beginning of a cool weather weekend. For me cool weather days are perfect for baking so bright and early on Saturday I turned on the oven and began with a batch of chocolate chip cookies. While the cookies were baking I made a large pot of chili.

And to go with the chili I made cheese rolls.

Now that I have a new system for storing bread I also made long loaves of bread.

I made a total of 2 long loaves wheat bread, 1 long loaf white bread, 1 small loaf wheat bread, 1 dozen wheat cheese rolls, and 1 dozen white cheese rolls. The cheese rolls are just the right size for a snack so everyone ate these throughout the day.

After I finished baking I made several bread bags out of muslin fabric.

These worked better than wrapping the bread in a tea towel;

And the fabric bag made it easier to slide the bread into a plastic bag.

I even put the leftover cheese rolls in a bread bag.

The bread was labeled and put into the freezer.

I went to bed exhausted but feeling very satisfied.

Arts Festival

I took Elizabeth to the Arts Festival yesterday; it is the same Festival we used to take Jonathan to when he was younger.

Home Depot had a booth set up for small children. Each child was given an apron;
And a small wood kit for making a tool box. Elizabeth loved making her box.

The Festival has art work from local schools as well as large art work from adults.

This van is covered in brass figures. The owner drove it all the way from Arizona to display it at the Festival. He said cars would slow down on the highway, after passing him, to take a second look.

Along with brass figures the van is covered with money; it was everywhere!

When we finally got home from the Festival Elizabeth painted her toolbox.

She is going to use it for her paints.

A Bread Test

On Tuesday we had some wonderfully cool weather so I decided to bake some bread and try out a new technique, that I read about on The Handmade Dress, for storing it. I wanted a narrow loaf of bread so I dug out my long and narrow pan.The pan isn't a bread pan, it is a Wilton cake pan, but it works very well for making a long loaf of bread similar to what comes from the store.

After baking the bread I let my loaf cool completely and then sliced it from end to end.

Next I placed half the loaf onto a cotton tea towel and wrapped the towel around the bread;

Then I placed the wrapped bread into plastic bags;

And put it into the freezer. On Thursday I took out a slice of bread and heated it in the microwave.

The bread was soft and moist and almost as good as it was the day it was baked.